The Black Crab
by Scarlett Hyde
Summary: Shadow thought taking down the drug smugglers would be easy. Get onboard, find the evidence, and stay alive. However, when a wolf gets free from the cargo hold, Shadow will have to make a tough decision. Save a crewmate, or remain undercover. But the loose wolf isn't the only danger Shadow must face. There's also Allan.
1. Prologue

"Your assignment is simple. Get on board, find the drugs, and get the hell out of there as soon as you have evidence. Do I make myself clear?"

"Clear as the Caribbean, sir."

"And do not talk to any of the smugglers if you can help it. One slip up could land you dead in the water."

"I know, sir. I won't fail."

"I hope so… for your sake. These men are highly dangerous and to be treated with utmost caution. They will _kill_ you if they realize why you are really there."

"I understood the risks before I even applied for this job. I know the dangers, as well as the consequences of failure."

"Very well. Here are the files of the main suspects. Review them well, for tomorrow you must report to the docks bright and early. They will be signing on new crew members and you have all the qualifications they require. They should hire you."

"Remind me again what I'm applying for, again."

"You are applying for assistant cook."

"And if they don't hire me on?"

"Sneak aboard. We have to catch these smugglers."

"I understand, sir."

"Good. Now, go read up. You've got a big day tomorrow."

 _~ 1 hour later ~_

I looked over the files at my desk, the small lamp the only source of light in the dim room. A plate of my half eaten dinner sat to my right, but anticipation for the coming day tomorrow spoiled any appetite I may have had. I glanced at the clock on the wall and promptly gave a pained groan as I saw the hour hand nearing the 12. Nearly midnight already?

 _What was I thinking, taking this job?_ I thought as I gazed over a certain file. "Allan Thompson, huh?" I murmured aloud. I suppressed a shiver. "He doesn't look to be that nice of a fellow." I glanced at the other file. "Tom, eh? Looks a little bit nicer I guess. Either way, I got my hands full with this case."

My roommate came in. "I can't believe you took that job, Shadow!" he exclaimed loudly, walking over to where I sat at my desk.

I didn't even glance over to him. "Piss off, Charlie. I'm busy," I growled. I ran a hand through my short light brown hair that barely reached the bottom of my chin.

"But not even Jake would take the job! He's the best spy we've got!" Charlie protested, sitting on the lower bunk which belonged to him.

I gave a snort and turned my harsh blue gaze to him in a glare. My eyes were such an intense tropical blue they scared most away. Or caused whoever was caught in their gaze to wet themselves. But not Charlie. "You give him too much praise, Charlie. He's a coward," I growled, baring my teeth slightly.

"But-"

"Nah ah! Don't even bother defending the lout, savvy? I don't wanna hear it," I interrupted him with a snarl, poking my finger towards his chest.

Charlie blinked as his head rocked slightly back. "Savvy? You're already turning into a sailor!" he teased, grinning at me.

I simply narrowed my eyes at him before turn back to my reading. "Keep pushin' me, Charlie," I hissed through clenched teeth, drawing the first word out. "Just keep on pushin' me."

"Aw, c'mon, Shad! This is the last day I may ever see you again, especially if they find out about your mission!" Charlie protested.

I gave another snort. "I find your lack of faith… disturbing," I growled at him. I wasn't going to tell him that after I got paid for this job I was out. Gone. And I wasn't coming back. _That is… if I even get off the ship alive._


	2. Chapter 1

The docks were a buzz of activity as first mate Allan Thompson along his friend and crewmate Tom sat reading over the many job applications presented to them by the motley arrangement of work desperate men. Gulls cried overhead as the winter sun shone dully and a cool breeze blew through.

Tom suppressed a shiver, having only his dull dark blue sweater. Allan, however, was wearing his tan trench coat to ward off the biting chill. The taller man gave a small growl of frustration. None of the papers filled everything he was looking for. Not a single damn one of them could cook squat.

Tom shifted his eyes towards the first mate. "Not found anything either, eh?" he asked.

Without looking up, Allan groaned, "Nothing. You would think at least one of these men would be able to cook."

"I guess most think it a woman's job," Tom said off handedly. He scanned over two papers, one in each hand.

"Best not let Rango hear that," Allan muttered, referring to the ship's cook. A flash of black caught Allan's eye among the other bright colored clothing as a small figure appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

It was a fairly sturdy looking teen with medium length brown hair that hung down and partly obscured their face. They were completely clothed in black, from a loose black shirt to loose black pants to black boots.

Allan's eyebrows shifted upward in surprise as he saw the kid approach where he and Tom were sitting. Allan hadn't seen the kid until it had nearly been right in front of him. As the kid came closer, Allan was shocked by how blue their eyes were. But the one thing he couldn't figure out was if the kid was male or female. The hair and face looked to be female, but the build and chest area didn't.

Allan eyed the kid up and down as he tried to solve the gender mystery. "You here to apply for a job?" Allan asked.

Tom regarded the kid thoughtfully. There was something about the kid that spiked the stocky man's interest.

The kid nodded and handed the paper to Allan. Allan took the paper and looked it over. Apparently, the kid before him was male, 17, and named Shadow. "So, Shadow," Allan began, glancing up from the paper. "You can cook?"

Shadow nodded, brushing the hair from his face, but said nothing. He seemed slightly nervous as Allan addressed him, but that was to be expected. Allan knew he scared most men out of their pants and it was a trait he used to his advantage whenever he could. However, it could get annoying. Especially when he was trying to get a straight answer out of someone and they just kept babbling in fear.

Allan leaned forward slightly, setting the paper down. "I'm going to guess you don't say much, is that right?"

Again, Shadow simply gave a nod. Allan saw him shift back and go into what appeared to be a ready stance. It was almost as if he expected Allan to attack him. Allan then noticed three jagged scars on his throat right above the shirt collar that went straight down his front.

Allan figured that, with scars like those, the kid learned the hard way to be constantly ready.

"So, is that why they call you Shadow? You're simply there but never make a sound?" Tom piped up, leaning forward on his elbows.

Shadow hesitated, then nodded again. He seemed less on edge and more relaxed with Tom questioning him. Maybe because Tom didn't seem as intimidating, which was no surprise. Although more well-built than Allan himself, Tom seemed to have a more relaxed air about him.

Allan was growing suspicious of the kid's silence, however. Was there another reason he wasn't talking? Maybe... he wasn't a he after all but a _she_ , and _she_ didn't want her voice to give her away. It had happened before. Girls wanted a taste for adventure and tried to sneak aboard. Most men didn't see through the ruse. But Allan wasn't most men.

"Kid," he said, lowering his voice so none of the waiting men would hear. "Is the reason you don't speak because you're not actually a boy, but a girl, and you don't want to give yourself away?"

Was that a flash of panic he saw? Or was it offense? Or... warning? Either way there had been something there, and Allan was hell bent on figuring out what. Shadow shocked him by replying, albeit in a soft tone, "Sir, I assure you, I am no female."

Allan blinked, surprised by the roughness of Shadow's voice and the way it resonated. Tom was in shock as well, although he was more vocal about it. "With that pitch and tone I guess not," the shorter man said in a slightly humorous tone. "Alright, Shadow, since you seem to be the only one here who can cook, you're hired. Report back here in the morning, and we'll see you signed on. Only one suitcase, however," Tom remarked, leaving Allan to judge the kid's reaction on being chosen.

Shadow nodded, and Allan saw relief wash over the blue eyed kid. Odd. Why would he have relief? Was he running from someone and needed to leave? "Thank you, sir," he said in that soft tone of his. He turned around, walked away, and disappeared as quickly as he appeared. How did he do that? It was almost as if he vanished into thin air.

"Well alright," Tom said, holding the paper. "Seems we got a new cook assistant."

"I don't know. There's something off about him. When he comes on, I want you to watch him carefully," Allan ordered his crew mate.

Tom looked over at him as he gathered the papers. "You don't trust him already? You've got to stop being so suspicious, Allan!" he exclaimed, tone annoyed. "Is it because he's shy and doesn't like to speak much?"

Allan gave his friend a glare. Had he not seen those scars? "You didn't notice that scar across his neck?" he asked. How could he have not seen it?

Tom gave Allan a skeptical look. "I didn't see no scar," he said, frowning. "I think you're being paranoid."

Allan was silent. Had he imagined the scar? Or the readying of muscles? Or the warning in Shadow's eyes? He shook his head. Maybe he was being paranoid. Finally he huffed a sigh. "I guess I am. Either way, I'll go tell Rango we found him an assistant."

Tom glanced at him. "I think I'll go for a small walk. Take a bit of a break on solid ground," he muttered. It was true; the constant dipping and rolling of the sea got to you after a while.

Allan narrowed his eyes. "You're going to try and find that kid again, aren't you?"

Tom grumbled, settling his cap on his head. "I need to tell him what time to get here tomorrow, don't I?" Allan gave a disbelieving snort, but said nothing as Tom left.


	3. Chapter 2

Tom looked around, hoping he could still find the quiet male. The docks were full of many people of different shapes and sizes, much to Tom's dismay. But then he noticed the small figure heading towards a back alley between an abandoned hotel and an apartment complex. Setting off at a brisk pace, Tom made after him, hoping to catch him before the kid reached the alley or disappeared again. The stocky man reached the other side of the street just as Shadow turned into the alley. Now trotting, Tom rounded the corner only to find that the kid had vanished. In a dead end too! "Oi! Shadow?" Tom called, peering into the gloom of the alley.

A sharp clang made Tom jerk his head up. There, sitting on a fire escape about 10 feet above Tom's head, was Shadow, his blue gaze cautious. He had hit the metal bar to catch Tom's attention. "Aye?" he asked, tone wary.

Tom blinked. How had he gotten up there so fast? Could the kid fly? "How did you get up there so fast?" Tom asked, the reason he needed to talk to Shadow forgotten.

"I'm used to evading thugs from the street," the kid said softly. "I learned to be quick for my own safety." Shadow hesitated, then continued, "But... that's not the reason you followed me, is it?"

Tom said, "We never told you what time to meet back at the docks."

"Ah," was the only response Tom got. Clearly Shadow had expected that. Then, if he knew they had neglected to tell him, why did he leave so fast? Maybe he was just eager to be away from Allan, and Tom couldn't exactly blame him there.

Realizing Shadow was waiting for the time, Tom said, "Meet us back around 9:00 in the morning. Can ya do that?"

A small smirk appeared on Shadow's face, the first real sigh of emotion Tom had seen from him. "It's not really as if I have anything else to do, is it?" he remarked, shoulders moving up and down minutely as he gave a soft laugh.

The corner of Tom's mouth twitched up slightly. Having Shadow on board could be fun. He seemed nice enough, if not a little shy. "I guess not," he chuckled.

"Well, I should be going. You know… I never did catch either of your names," Shadow said, tilting his head.

Tom gave the kid a small smile. "I'm Tom, and the other bloke was Allan," he said, jerking his thumb back behind him in the bad tempered sailor's general direction.**

Shadow nodded. "Nice to meet you, Tom. I guess I'll see you at 9 tomorrow. Quick question, though."

Tom tilted his head. "Aye?"

"Can I bring my throwing knives with me?"

Tom gave a small start. Shadow had throwing knives? 'He'll fit right in with the rest of us. Wonder how good he is.' "Uh, sure. How many do you have?"

Shadow chuckled softly. "Er... 9?"

Tom gave a small start. "Nine?" he exclaimed.

"Correct."

"Are you any good?"

Shadow smirked and his arm twitched towards his belt. Before Tom could react, something silver flashed past his face and embedded in the wooden post behind him with a thunk. Tom flinched and whirled around.

There in the wood was a long, slender throwing knife.

Tom quickly turned back to Shadow, but the kid was gone. "Again? Where'd he go?"

"You know... that's the beauty of knowing Psychology. You know how to do magic. Well that and no one looks up."

Tom looked up with shock. Shadow was sitting on a two story window above his head, smirking.

"How?" the blue eyed man sputtered.

Shadow shrugged. "Simple distraction method. But anyway, I really should go. Oh, and you can keep the knife. Also, watch out for the dog behind your back."

Tom turned, startled, but there was nothing. Turning back, he was not overly surprised to see Shadow gone. He chuckled softly, then looked back at the knife. Grabbing the hilt, he pulled it out of the post and looked over it. The hilt was black and the blade silver. Tom looked it over and walked back to the ship.

Allan was waiting for him, a cigarette between his teeth. "You find Shadow?"

Tom nodded. "Yes..." he said slowly, then held up the knife. "He more or less gave me this."

Allan's brows shifted upwards. "Why would he do that?"

The stocky sailor replied, "He asked if he could bring his throwing knives. I asked if he was any good, and in response he threw this right past my face at the pole behind me."

Allan narrowed his eyes. "He's good with knives?"

Tom rolled his eyes at the suspicion in the man's tone. "Al, he probably practiced when in the kitchen. He applied for the cook's position, remember?"

Allan snorted, obviously unconvinced. "Well, what time did you tell him to meet back here?"

"9:00 am. I told him he could bring his throwing knives."

"How many does he have?" Allan asked.

"Nine." Tom looked at the knife in his hand. "Well... eight now."

Allan was silent, no doubt trying to come up with another reason to be suspicious. Finally he sighed. "Fine fine. Well, we best go tell Rango we got him a helper."

Tom smirked as he followed Allan up the ramp. "I thought ya already did that."

Allan groaned. "Go make a plank... and then walk it!"

* * *

 **Another chapter! Sorry it's short, I've actually been working on another Tintin story. ;)**

 **Also, thank you for the review anonymous guest! This story will actually not feature Tintin himself, but more of the sailors since we don't ever see much of the Karaboudjan crew. :)**


	4. Chapter 3

I made quick back to the headquarters, pondering if giving Tom my knife was a good idea in the long run. If this job went bad, I could be killed by that very same knife.

"Hurmp, killed by my own knife. How ironic," I muttered bitterly. Hopefully I'd avoid an untimely end at either Tom or Allan's hands. Allan was more likely to be the death of me than Tom was. I didn't know what it was, but Tom was just more…

 _What's the word? Friendly? Nonthreatening?_ _ **Dorky**_ _?_

I sighed and shook my head as I reached the steps of the main building, a small two story building down near the far end of the docks. It didn't look like much from the outside, but the agents within knew better. Beneath the building sprawled a large and complex tunnel system.

Walking up the steps, I glared at the faded _Tim's Library_ lettering. Years of salt, sea spray, sun, and biting wind had worn it away to almost the point of being recognizable.

"As bad as getting killed by either Tom or Allan is, it sure is better than staying in this hellhole."

I glanced around to make sure no one had followed me to the building. The street was deserted, and far in the distance I could faintly see the _Karaboudjan_. I stared at for a while before ducking inside.

Two of my fellow agents were playing cards and drinking at a table off to my right when I walked into the dimly lit first-floor-turned-pub area. However, when I walked past them, one beckoned me over.

"Oi! Shadow, c'mere!" the tallest called, waving his hand.

I stifled a groan and approached the table, glaring at the one who had called me over. "What'd'ya want, James?"

James was a skinny man with an angular face and a sharp nose. A nasty scar marred his face and went down across his right eye. Once brown, it was now pale and milky after the knife, which had caused the scar and James' one sided blindness. He smirked at me. "So, Charlie boy tells us you plan to go after the Wolf," he said while the man beside him snickered.

I kept a straight face, not even blinking. "What of it, James? Jealous? It's not my fault you are about as brave as a baby mouse."

James smug grin didn't disappear. "Who, me? Nah. Jake's a different story."

"Screw Jake. He doesn't scare me. And neither does Allan Thompson. He's not so tough anyway. Now, you might want to shut your trap. You lower the IQ of the entire agency," I growled, pushing myself up from the table and making my way to the doorway that led down to my boss's office. I slid past the curtain that served as a door and almost immediately ran into Jake.

High school jock build, charismatic attitude, a defined swagger, and an arrogant and condescending way of speaking, he was my main rival. How he worked his way up to the position where I was forced to acknowledge him as a rival was a mystery to me. The blond haired and hazel eyed shithead was dumb as a box of rocks.

"Ah, if it isn't my _little brother_ , Shadow!"

Oh, how that nickname rubbed me the wrong way. "The hell you want, fish-breath?"

He grinned at me, but there was no warmth. "I just wanted to wish my favorite coworker good luck. I'll speak fondly of you at your funeral."

"I shall be the cause of yours before the day is up unless you piss off," I growled, trying to push past him. I had to prepare for tomorrow. Although I would never admit it, I was scared out of my pants. Allan was bloody _terrifying_.

Jake pushed me against the wall, nostrils flaring in anger. "Listen here, you little shi- OW!"

The ending word was a high pitched shout of pain, for I had brought my knee up into his groin. He recoiled and collapsed.

I stood over him, a disdainful sneer on my face. "I told you before, don't start a battle you can't win," I spat, and turned around… Only to find our boss glaring at me.

"Office," he growled, tone leaving no room for argument, "Now."

I groaned, this time aloud, and stalked to his office. Great, _another_ lecture on being too headstrong. When would he just give it up?

 _It won't matter after today, anyway. I'll be long gone, far away from here, and I'll never come back after I get my pay for this assignment. Ever. They can kiss my ass._

I walked into the small, neat office of the head boss. A tall, broad shouldered man by the name of Darren Mathis, my boss worked with Interpol to bring down undercover crime rings. We had busted one a while back, and now it was time to bust another.

Darren passed me and sat down in his chair behind the big, wooden desk. He leaned forward on his elbows and glare at me from under his brows.

"Shadow-"

"Yeah yeah, I need to not be so brash. But the bastard had it coming! He attacked me first!"

"You insulted him."

"So he has the right to attack me? Uh, hell no."

Darren said, tone hard, "Maybe you're too headstrong for this assignment. Perhaps I should give it to Jake."

I shook my head quickly. If I didn't get on that ship, I'd never escape this place. "No no, I'll behave. Besides, I got the job. I'm set to meet Tom, was it, at the ship 9:00 am tomorrow," I replied.

Darren growled, "Fine. If it weren't for that I'd confine you to the tunnels for the entire day tomorrow."

 _As if you could_ , I thought. I'd just sneak out as always. They didn't call me Shadow for nothing. Instead of fighting back, or even laughing in his face as I wanted to, I simply dipped my head. "Thank you, sir," I said, fighting to not spit the words.

Darren waved me off. "Just get out of my sight. And apologize to Jake."

"Got it," I said, then muttered as I walked to my room, "Go screw a blender."

I opened the door and grabbed a suitcase which counted more as a backpack. Throwing some clothes in, I also threw a notebook and three pencils in. Writing was the one hobby I allowed myself. Lifting up my pillow, I grabbed my throwing knives, holster and all, and laid them in with my belt. Taking a deep breath, I placed my small handgun in as well. The rounds were stored in another, separate pouch, and the gun itself unloaded.

I threw the pack up into the top bunk, then headed to the door again. _It is my last day here, I might as well take one final trip around the harbor. After all, I'll probably never see this place again._

* * *

 _**Another chapter! Quick huh?**_

 _ **Well, thanks to Anonymous Guest person, I feel inclined to work on this since someone is enjoying it.**_

 _ **And speaking of Anonymous Guest person, thanks for the review!**_

 _ **I'm glad you liked the interaction and Shadow's character! Shadow can certainly be arrogant at time! I'm also glad you liked the throwing knives and my take on Allan and Tom's character!**_ _ **There not being much on them makes me sad since they are probably my favorite characters of the series! But hey, if you like Tom and Allan stuff be on the lookout for other Tintin stories by me!**_


	5. Chapter 4

I trudged towards the ship, pack heavy on my back. I shot one last look towards what had been my home for close to 3 years. If I was honest, I wouldn't miss it. The only thing I might miss was Charlie's jokes. But even those were annoying at times.

I shook myself and continued onward. That life was over. My new one was to begin. Or end tragically with my gory demise at the Wolf's hands.

 _Well I got Allan's codename. What about Tom's_? I though. I was in a more populated part of the docks now, men shouting to each other or kissing their girlfriends goodbye. At least some of them were girlfriends. Other looked more like prostitutes. Then again, some girlfriends dressed like whores.

 _Well no wonder I can't get a guy. I don't show skin_. I scoffed aloud. _What a damned pity. Oh well, however will I survive?_

Tom came into view. His back was to me and he was staring off into the sky. "Wonder where he is?"

 _Oh, I know._ I thought as I calmly and nonchalantly walked up behind him. _Dimwitted sky gazer who can't pay attention for shit. Nah… too long. I'll just go with…_ "Behind you, Tommy Gun."

He jumped and whirled around. "Oh! I didn't even see ya there!" he exclaimed.

I fought an urge to roll my eyes and make a clever comment. I opted instead for saying, "My name _is_ Shadow for a reason. But that aside, why were you staring up at the sky?"

"The gulls. Last time seeing them for a while. We'll probably be leaving tonight. We've been here around a week. Good thing you showed up when you did," he said.

"Guess so."

He gave me a playful smirk. "So, ya must be good karma," he teased, playfully punching my upper arm.

 _Buddy… you have no clue. I'm the worst thing to ever happen to you_. I almost felt bad. Tom seemed to be a decent guy, not the type to smuggle drugs. _Then again, the prettiest flower garden can hide the deadliest snake._

 _So,_ an intrusive thought purred, winding around my brain, _You think Tom is a flower garden? How sweet._

 _Do go away. It is not even 9:30 am, and it is way too early for this shit. Do not screw with me, not right now._

A hand was waved in front of my nose. "Hello, Shadow. Come in, Shadow."

I gave a start and blinked. "Wha?" I said, heat rising to my neck. _Damn it! I hate being caught off-guard_! "Er, yes?"

He chuckled. "Are ya here? Ya seem to be a million miles away right now," he teased.

I sighed. "Rough night. Had to say goodbye to all the cats in the area. Probably miss them the most," I muttered. That was true. There were about 16 cats in total that I had come to love. _Probably my only regret, leaving them behind_ , I thought.

Tom's eyebrows shifted up in surprise. "Yer an animal lover?" he asked, crossing his arms.

 _Why does that always surprise people_? I though with a frown. "Not really of dogs. Cats are more my style. But, can we talk about this more later? If I talk anymore about the things that make this port home to me, I just might start getting nostalgic. I don't know about you, but personally nine in the morning is way too early for a breakdown. Plus breakdowns are just embarrassing. I'm shy enough as is. Embarrassment is certainly not on the list for today."

Tom blinked, then shrugged. "Sure, we can talk about it later if ya want. But I suppose we best get you to Rango ASAP. We'll be sailing off in two hours. Here, follow me," he offered, turning and walking up the ramp.

I walked after him, thankful for my long legs and strides. I could save energy if I didn't have to walk as fast to keep up. We reached the deck and Tom led me down into the belly of the mighty ship. An occasional clang of metal and hiss of steam would occasionally startle me, but I was just glad we didn't run into any crew members. The less I interacted with them the less horrible I'd feel for turning them in.

 _Then again, by the end of this I might be more than happy to throw some of them in jail. But I do know Tom I'll at least feel some remorse_ , I thought.

Tom suddenly stopped outside of a door. "Most of the boys have already finished breakfast-"

Yes.

"But some may still be lingering."

Not yes. Shit. I bloody hate human interaction. Please let there be no one.

Tom pushed the door open.

 _Shit… shit shit shit._ _ **He's**_ _here_.

Allan sat at one of the tables, poking at something with his fork. When the door opened, he glanced over towards us. His eyes meet mine, and I could almost see the little message.

 _I'll be watching you_.

It wasn't hard to tell he was suspicious of me. But did he have to so blatantly mistrustful of me?

Other than Allan, there were two others. One wore a cook's apron, letting me know he was Rango. The other man, however, was harder to label. He wore a simply black shirt and work pants.

Rango spotted me and quickly stood up. He was tall and lanky, with long arms and legs. He had short, dark brown hair and amber eyes that contrasted with the dark hair. "You must be the new assistant, Shadow! Welcome aboard! I'm Rango, so you'll be getting to know me quite a bit. You already met first mate Allan, Tom brought you here so you're familiar with him, but this man here is Bart." He swept his hand to indicate the other man.

His hair was jet black and his eyes an ice blue. They shifted towards me, held my own icy gaze, then returned back to the table top. Must have seen a really interesting speck of something.

I spoke to Rango, keeping my voice tone in check. "Aye, I am Shadow. Nice to meet you, Mr. Rango and Mr. Bart."

Rango waved me off dismissively. "Oh, please just Rango. No need to be formal," he said with a smile.

 _I could get to like this guy._

 _Don't forget… you gotta turn him in as well,_ the little voice teased.

I snarled at it to go away. It was being an annoying son of a bitch today.

"Just Bart outta work for me as well."

 _Well hello, deep, foreboding voice man. You sure are a scary son of a bitch,_ I thought. The man's voice rattled my chest bones.

He chuckled, no doubt seeing my reaction. "Don't worry, I don't bite."

Allan pushed himself up. "I'll let you handle it then, Rango. I must go check on our captain," he said, walking over towards the door.

Luckily, Tom and I had already made it inside, so all I had to do was sidestep away to avoid him.

He shot a brief glance towards me, and I steeled myself not to flinch. The Wolf passed without confronting me directly, and turned his gaze ahead.

I heard him mutter under his breath, "Hopefully he hasn't drunk himself into oblivion…again."

 _Captain has a drinking problem? Interesting._ I decided to store that away for later. If might be useful, and I could always write it down in the notebook later.

The moment Allan left the room, I felt my body go from ready to calmly watchful. I looked back at Rango and Bart. "Alright, Rango and Bart. Um… what do you do, Bart?"

He chuckled. "Me? I just make sure everything runs smoothly in the kitchen and I make sure it stays clean."

Rango added, "I hope you don't mind, Shadow, but you'll be bunking with Bart and me."

I shook my head. "It's no problem at all. Better than an abandoned hotel. Although I shouldn't complain about that, since it still somehow had heat. But anyway, thank you."

Rango frowned, but didn't ask about my background. Good thing too. I did have a story, but that was emergency only. He finally said, "Why don't I give you a few lessons before lunch?"

I nodded, and Tom spoke up from behind me. "I'm gonna go help Al." I felt him pat my shoulder. "See ya around, Shadow."

I watched as he left, then turned back and walked over to Rango. He led me behind the counter and into a back room. There was a two person bunk and a hammock in the corner. Luckily, it was clean. Not immaculate, but decently clean and didn't reek.

"We usually rotate every two days, so that way you won't have to only sleep in the hammock. You can put your bag in the corner there," Rango said, pointing to a chest by a tall cabinet.

I nodded. "Thanks again," I said. I walked over and sat my bag down. I then turned back to the two men. "So… what's first on our list?"

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4! Yay!**_

 _ **Also, thanks to SeagullandCroissant for the watch!  
It was your story that inspired me to write this one!  
**_


	6. Chapter 5

Showing me the basics of how to use the items in the kitchen took around two hours, and by then it was time to leave the harbor. Rango looked down at me. "You ever see a ship launch?"

I gave a small laugh. In the time I had spent with the two men, I had greatly relaxed. They were both easy to get along with and didn't ask about my background apart from once. Rango had wished to know how long I had been cooking. "Well," I began, "I have seen plenty. Although, have I seen one from the departing ship's deck? Can't say that I have."

Bart chuckled. "Well, how about I take you to the top deck so you can see it? I'll make sure you won't get lost."

I perked up. Yes, I was here on a top secret and very important mission. Yes, one wrong step could land me in deep trouble. But I had always wanted to see a ship launch from the ship itself.

A small voice in my head whispered, _Curiosity killed the cat_.

 _But satisfaction brought it back. You've already done enough damage today, little voice. Do kindly piss off._ I shut off the voice before it could respond.

The deep voiced man snorted softly in amusement. "That got your attention, didn't it? Well, come on," he said, clapping me on the shoulder as he passed on his route to the door.

I looked back at Rango, who waved with his hand for me to go on. "Lunch isn't for another hour. I think you'll be fine for about 20 more minutes. I'll start preparing in the meantime. Enjoy the launch, Shadow!"

I nodded. "Thanks, Rango!" I hurried out after Bart, who stood just outside the door.

He smiled as I joined him. "You should like this, Shadow. Although I would advise you to cover your ears if loud noises bother you. The horn can get pretty loud," he said, leading me back up to the top decks.

"Ah. I'll make a note then. Loud noises aren't particularly something I enjoy," I mumbled.

Bart chuckled. "And don't worry, Mr. Allan won't be there either."

 _How did he know Allan bothers me_? I thought, shocked. "Is it that obvious he makes me nervous?" I asked, red creeping up my neck.

"Well Mr. Allan has that effect on most people. Even grown men aren't immune to it. Just the aura around him," Bart said with a laugh.

A shudder under my feet followed by a low rumbling let me know the ship's engines were starting up again. They sounded eager to be on the way, and I couldn't help agreeing with them. The sooner we left, the sooner I could get away from Jake and his douchebaggery. I glanced back to Bart as we reached the bottom of some steps. "Does… does Allan know?"

"That he makes you nervous?" Bart asked. When I stayed silent, he continued, "Heard of the term 'All Brawns and No Brain'? Well… that's not the case with Mr. Allan. He's extremely clever. He knows the effect he has on people. So, he does know he scares you, I have no doubt." We had reached the top of the steps.

 _All Brawns_ _ **and**_ _All Brain? This job just gets better and better. I should probably just fling myself into the sea now. Save Allan the trouble._

"It's not all that bad," Bart said, giving me a comforting pat on the shoulder. He must have seen my face fill with horror. "Believe it or not, he can actually be very understanding and even nice at times."

 _Yeah, I don't believe that shit for a moment._

"He treats his friends and allies well, I promise."

 _I don't fall into either of those._

"I would not recommend getting on his bad side though. It's not pretty."

 _You, sir, are not helping. And trust me, I've seen this psycho's file. I know what happened to the last guy. Or whatever is left of him._

"Oi, wait up!" Tom called from the base of the stairs, and we both looked down as he drug himself up them. He reached the top of the stairs and stood panting for a moment. Once he had caught his breath, the blue eyed man said, "I just missed ya. Rango told me that ya had just left. I ran in hopes of catching up."

Bart laughed. "Yes, you certainly did. Is something wrong?"

Tom blinked in surprise. "Wha? No! Not at all! I was thinkin' that Shadow might want to see 'is first launch so I came to ask. But ya beat me to it, Bart," he said, glaring playfully at Bart.

The man snickered. "Oh dear, silly me. I do hope I caused you no grief," he teased.

Tom smirked in reply. "Ya wounded me cold, black 'eart!" he said, mimicking a standard pirate accent.

I stood there, content to watch the banter and not join. They did not seem like drug smugglers, but rather good, honest men. _Maybe it's just Allan and the rest of them don't know anything about the drugs._ I would never admit it, but I was hoping more and more for that to be the case. I didn't want to throw Rango or Bart in jail. Or even Tom for that matter.

Then I remembered something. Tom had a file, just like Allan. He was a confirmed suspect. Second in command of the operation, too.

 _Shit… I've already become too attached to the crew. They're criminals who will kill me! I can_ _ **not**_ _forget that._

I looked between the two men, who had continued bantering while I battled internally.

Bart must have thought I looked a little left out, because he said, "So, I guess we best get moving, aye?"

I nodded in agreement, glancing towards Tom. He had a grin on his face and appeared as excited as if this was his first ship launch. "You'll like this, Shadow," he promised.

I shrugged. "Whatever you say, Tommy Gun."

He laughed at the nickname and gave me a nudge towards the direction Bart was walking.

I walked after the man, following as he led me through the twisting turning ship until we reached the top deck. Bart walked to the stern of the ship and as he had promised, Allan was not there.

 _Thank the Sun._

Bart gripped the rail as he stood gazing out over the harbor where a few people had stopped to watch the launch. I walked up and stood beside him, looking out as well as Tom stood on the other side of me. From this height, I could see further than I could when I stood at the top of the two story hotel. There were many people of different shapes and sizes milling about, some working, some walking, and some watching.

The ship began to slowly leave the shore, the cranes on the dock next to us slowly moving. Or at least appearing to move.

I looked back at the docks and down towards the old _Tim's Library_ building. It looked so small from here. So-

 _Wait… no it can't be. What's he doing, watching us leave?_

Jake stood near the building, and even from here I could see his arms crossed and his face distorted by his usual scowl. He was glaring straight at me too. I saw him left a hand then draw his finger across his throat. Once he was finished, he pointed at me.

I gulped. What could he mean by that? Did he know I was trying to escape the agency? _He can't follow me. He can't follow me_.

However much I repeated that in my head, I could not shake the feeling something was going to go terribly wrong.

A hand on my shoulder brought me out of it.

"Shadow? Something wrong?"

I looked up at Tom just as the horn blew. Startled, I yelped, sounding more animal than human, and flinched away from him. Every muscle in my body was tense, my breaths coming short.

Bart and Tom looked worriedly at me, exchanging a glance with each other. Bart looked back at me. "Shadow, what's wrong?"

I looked back to where Jake had been. He was gone now. I gulped, heat rising to my face. They'd probably just think I was crazy. "Er, nothing. Thought I saw something."

"What was it?" Tom asked sympathetically.

I shook my head. "D-Don't worry about it." I turned back to Bart. "I think I'll head back and help Rango."

"But we still have-"

"I know, but I'm gonna go help. T-Thanks for bringing me out here to watch." I turned on my heal and jogged back to the door that led inside. Once inside, I broke into almost a dead run. Thanking my lucky stars I remembered the way, I zoomed down the stairs and into the hall.

I ran straight into Allan.

* * *

 _ **Back from vacation with another chapter! Yay!**_

 ** _This was a wee bit rushed writing, but it's like 1 am over here._**

 ** _Anyway, yay for cliffhanger!_**


	7. Chapter 6

Tom watched with shock and concern as Shadow fled the top deck. Unknown to the new cook's assistant, Tom too had seen Jake. He now wondered who that person was, and what they could have done to Shadow to cause him to react in such a startled way.

 _The boy seemed almost like a startled cat or dog when he yelped_ , Tom thought with a frown. He had never heard anything like it in his many years of sailing.

"That was… odd," Bart remarked, watching Shadow's flight.

Tom looked at his friend, wondering if he should tell Bart about the strange person who had vaguely threatened their new crewmate. After some thought, he decided against it. The man could possibly have just been gesturing at the ship in general. But why then would Shadow be as disturbed as he was?

 _I should probably tell Al… but he may get suspicious again_. Tom sighed and addressed Bart. "Aye. Maybe he saw something?"

Bart frowned. "But what would cause a reaction like that? Shadow is fairly laid back. The only one I can think that would cause a reaction that negative is Mr. Allan," he said.

 _Or a person Shadow has had bad experiences with in the past. I'm almost certain he knows that man. But from where_? Tom decided to ask the young male later. _I'll first ask Shadow about it. If it's nothing, I'll tell Al then. If not… well Al doesn't have to know. It's just nothing, after all._

 ** _My Pov_**

I fell back with a yelp of surprise and then fright when I realized who it was. His large hand wrapped around my wrist and prevented me from falling down. I'd personally rather have fallen.

"Hold it, kid," Allan said as he pulled me back to my feet.

I froze under his sharp amber glare. This was bad. Really really bad.

He frowned and his head went to one side. "Jeez, you look like you've seen a ghost."

 _Nope, but I am being held at the wrist by a devil._

His frown deepened. "I'm not a devil."

 ** _What_**. I stammered like a gaping fish for perhaps a solid minute before I managed, "I… I said that aloud?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, you did," he said in a low tone.

This time, I could not make any words come out of my mouth, let alone an apology.

 _That's it. He's gonna flay me alive. I should have jumped overboard when I had the chance. This is really, really bad._

Allan raised a hand, the one not holding my wrist in a death grip, to silence me. "I'll let it go." He pointed a finger at me. "This time."

I gulped. "Y-Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," I said in a small voice, shrinking down. I kept my gaze lowered, not wanting to meet his eyes.

He released my wrist. "Why are you running, anyway?" he asked, crossing his arms as he stood blocking my way.

"Er, nothing. No one."

"Bullshit, kid. You look spooked and were not going at a leisurely pace when you crashed into me. You're running from something. I asked you what."

I sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat when I realized there was no point in lying to him or trying to avoid the question. "I thought I had seen something on shore when we left, and it spooked me. Can I go now?" I muttered the last part under my breath. Or at least tried to.

"Yes, you can go now," Allan said, the faintest growl of warning in his words.

I shrank and said a pitiful "T-Thank you, sir" before rushing past the first mate and breaking into a dead run down the corridor.

I did not stop until I reached the semi-familiar door of the mess hall. I burst in, mouth open and chest heaving.

Rango jumped and looked over in alarm, reaching for the large butcher's knife on the table. Seeing me, he quickly calmed. "Shadow! Goodness, did you see a ghost?"

 _Is that a normal occurrence on this ship? Do ghosts just roam the halls?_ Another thought sent a shiver down my spine. _If I can't learn to watch what I say around Allan it very well might be my ghost roaming these halls._

Gasping in a breath of sweet air that burned my throat, I managed, "Ran back… here for… the sheer… hell of it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well I'm sure glad you are eager to get ready for lunch, but there was really no need for that," he remarked, then shrugged. "Well, while you're here I might as well show some basics of it. Come on."

I stumbled over, still trying to catch my breath. "Er… Rango? For my first day," I paused to draw in air, "Would it be possible for me to stay in the back and just bring out extra food?"

He looked over and gave a warm yet slightly teasing smile. "Not fond of crowds? Well that is quite alright. Lunch is often the busiest," he agreed.

I grinned, glad he didn't guess my true motive. I wanted to stay as far from Allan for as long as I could. Hopefully I could avoid him for the rest of the trip.

However, something told me that would not be the case.

 _ **Allan pov**_

Allan watched with narrowed eyes as the kid fled from him. What was that about? First he runs into me at almost a dead sprint, almost knocking me down. Looking as if he'd seen a ghost or a demon no less. Then he calls me a bloody devil. Where had that come from? Something is not right with that boy. And just what had he seen?

Allan looked up as his friend Tom came walking from the same direction Shadow had come from. Upon seeing Allan, the stockier man picked up the pace and trotted over. "Hey, Al. Did ya happen to see Shadow run this way?"

Allan nodded. "Yeah. That boy ran into me and came close to knocking me over. Then he called me a devil," he growled, waiting for Tom's response.

The sailor's blue eyes went wide. "He did wot?" he sputtered, his accent growing thick in his shock. He blinked in disbelief. "I mean, I knew 'e was terrified of ya, but to call ya a _devil_?!"

Allan rolled his eyes. "You know I can't understand you when your accent gets thick like that. But yes, he called me a devil. Apparently he thought he was only thinking it. But that's besides the point. When I questioned him on why he was running, he said he had seen something during the launch that spooked him. Would you be able to tell me what that is?"

Tom lowered his eyes and shuffled. "Er… I can't."

Allan scowled. "Right… well remember this little fact. I _can_ put you on dish duty for the next week if you don't tell me."

Tom groaned, knowing Allan had him in a corner. "Alright… alright. When we were leaving Shadow was looking towards the old Tim's Library and I followed his gaze a saw a lone man glaring towards the ship. I thought nothing of it until I saw the man draw his finger across his throat. It was quickly after that that Shadow fled the deck," he grumbled.

Could that explain why he was so eager to flee? Was that man after Shadow? Allan thought. "Hmm… well that explains the look of horror on his face. Unless that was also caused by running into me," he said, then scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I think I have an idea."

Tom was hesitant in asking, "Er… what is that?"

"I think it's time for me to get to know our newest crewmate."


	8. Chapter 7

I sat in the back room of the kitchen, eating away at some of the scraps left over. Rango was kind enough to let me stay in the back during the most of lunch, only coming out to refill his serving stuff. I picked up a piece of meat with my fork then grabbed it with my teeth, gave it a small toss into the air, then caught it and swallowed.

"Interesting method."

I jumped straight up and fell out of my chair at the rough sound of the first mate's voice. Falling to the ground, I turned around to see Allan standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "Oh, sir! I... er... d-didn't hear you come in!" I yelped, breathing hard and heart thumping rapidly from the scare.

He gave a small snort. "Obviously," he muttered.

I blinked, uncomfortable at the silence stretching on. What did he want? Why was he here? Was he looking for Rango? I couldn't imagine a reason for the first mate to speak to the cook, but what exactly did I know about these things? Either way. "Um... Rango's not here right now-"

Allan held up a hand to stop me. "Oh, I know. I'm not looking for Rango," he said, and began to walk closer.

 _Oh no…_ I shrunk down, looking up it him as I curled into a defensive position. "T-Then who are yo-"

"You," Allan said, walking closer as he interrupted me.

My heart skipped a beat and panic filled me to the brim. Had my secret been found out? I scrambled to my feet and began backing away from the man. "M-me?" I squeaked, then mentally cursed myself for letting my voice hit that note.

"Is there another you in the room?" Allan asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "Er... no," I gulped.

Allan tilted his head as he looked at me. "You seem... what's the word? Agitated," Allan remarked, crossing his arms and standing in front of me.

"N-No, sir," I said, head down as I slowly backed away. _Agitated doesn't even begin to cover it. Try terrified and ready to piss myself._

The look on his face alone told me he knew I was lying. Despite all of his many horrible qualities, I had to give him credit for one thing. He was a master at reading people. "Hmm... let me ask you something, Shadow," Allan said.

"Um, yes?"

"Are you... afraid of me, Shadow?" he asked.

I glanced up at him. He showed no expression, his face blank. I sighed. "I'm not gonna lie to you, sir. Aye, I am," I admitted, looking back down and shuffling my feet.

"Good."

 _Huh_? "G-Good?"

The man nodded. "Aye. A little bit of fear from a subordinate is good. But not too much. You get me?"

 _Not at all_. "I don't believe I do, sir."

"Well, let me put it like this. Fear is a good tactic to keep someone from disobeying you. However, introduce too much and there is no respect, only fear. That is dangerous, for then if the subordinate sees that there might be a chance to defeat the superior, they'll take the first chance they get. But if the subordinate respects the superior, they will not be as likely to betray the superior. In short, have enough fear so they know not to cross you, but make sure you don't scare them so much so that fear is the only thing keeping them loyal." He paused, looking down at me again with a thoughtful look. "Understand now?"

I blinked. "I think so..." I answered uncertainly. _Was that a warning that trying to defeat him is a bad idea? Or am I just paranoid?_ "You… want me to have a respectful fear of you but not to the point where I'm scared stiff to even breathe around you?"

For a moment, Allan actually looked impressed. Then his face returned to the emotionless mask. "Great. Now, tell me something else."

"Aye, sir?"

"Have you had a tour of the ship yet?"

 _Don't say it… don't you dare say it. Please do not say it._ "No...?"

"Well then, what are we waiting for? I'll take you."

 _Oh you son of a bitch_. My heart stopped. I began to sputter, "Y-You don't have to do that! I wouldn't want to bother you-"

Allan wouldn't take no for an answer. "Nonsense, boy! Come on!"

I watched him walk to the door with a highly upset expression on my face. I did not want to go. It'd be just me and Allan Thompson. The Wolf himself. If he turned on me-

"You coming, boy?"

I looked up towards the door where he stood. I groaned and hung my head. "Aye, sir… I'm coming," I mumbled dejectedly. I walked over and fell into step beside him as he led the way into the ship.

I drug my feet as we walked through the halls. _Oh, why didn't I just fling myself into the sea while I could? It'd have been so much easier than being torn apart by this wolf. Hell… I could just jump off the back and get ground up by the propellers. That's be easier right? Or maybe find a stray gun? That'd be quickest._

"You're quiet," Allan commented.

 _Just contemplating my suicide. Don't mind me._ I sighed and replied, "Not one to talk much."

"Really? I couldn't tell."

 _Did he just make a joke? Screw me eight ways from the North Pole, he did._ I forced a small laugh, unsure whether or not I should joke back.

"Especially when it involves details about yourself or what you've seen."

 _Good feeling's gone. Yep, gone gone gone!_ I choked on my laughter and gulped. "Er… where are we going?" I asked.

"The hold. We are a cargo ship after all. You might as well see why we are even in operation," he answered, turning into a side hall.

 _No, we're going to the hold so you can interrogate me alone and dispose of me once you're done._ "Is there anyone else down there?" I asked.

His answer was curt. "No."

 _Feck this shite I'm out. Mmmmm hmmmm. Feck this shite I'm out. No thanks! Don't mind me. Imma just grab my stuff and leave. Excuse me, please._ I stopped dead and began to take careful steps backwards.

"I know you are walking backwards. Get back up here," Allan barked.

"Why can't we go to somewhere with more people?" I asked, no longer going backward but not moving forward either.

He stopped and turned, frowning. "I thought you'd rather talk somewhere with less people since you're so shy," he remarked, walking towards me.

I stepped back as he drew closer. "Why can't we just talk here?" _Where I can run the hell away from you._

"First of all, stop moving backwards when I'm trying to talk to you. Secondly, I just want to get to know the newest addition to the crew. Is that such a bad thing?" Allan asked. At his command I had forced myself to stay put, but it took every ounce of strength I had to not skitter backwards when he came just within arm's reach. He lowered his voice. "You can trust me. I'm an honest man."

 _An honest man? Oh this is rich! If I had a week I could not list all the reasons that is not true. To start, you're a smuggler, a killer, an all-around scary dude…_

"Besides," he said with a shrug, "If you have nothing to hide from me, what reason do you have to be nervous." He paused. "You don't have anything to hide, right?"

 _If only he knew… I'd be dead. So very dead._ I quickly laughed and waved it off. "No! Of course not!"

Allan crossed his arms. "Then who was it you saw on the shore?"

The forced smile faded yet again, and I was left looking at him with a hopeless expression. _This bugger will not quite, will he?_

He said, "I just want to make sure no one is after my newest crewmate."

 _No, you are trying to get me to trip up. Nice try, my friend, but no sale. I ain't buying it._

"We watch out for each other on this ship. Unlike some places." He looked directly into my eyes as he muttered those last two words.

My eyes widened. I had absolutely no doubt he knew at that point. But he hadn't killed me, and was not killing me, so there was a possibility he didn't know… unless he was just waiting it out, and had something much worse than a knife to the gut or bullet to the brain. _As long as he doesn't find that_ _ **other**_ _secret…_

Allan's eyes drifted to something above my head. "You're back early," he snorted at Tom as the pale eyed sailor approached from behind.

I looked behind me and breathed a sigh of relief. Tom was much easier to get along with than Allan. Allan was always asking questions it seemed, while Tom was more ok with normal conversation. Even if he was supposed to be the second in command of the whole operation, Tom just wasn't as vigilant and wasn't exactly the brightest.

Tom nodded as he came to stand by me. He glanced down at me, then looked back to the first mate. "What are ya doin'?"

"Ah, I was just showing Shadow around and we stopped to have a chat." He looked down at me and grinned, but there was no warmth whatsoever. "Isn't that right?"

Before I could answer, Tom pulled me behind him. "Yeah, right. I know that grin, Al. Ya were interrogating him again, weren'tcha?"

Allan huffed and rolled his eyes. "The only one interrogating anyone here is you."

Tom snapped back, but I wasn't listening. As he talked, I was slowly stepping backwards. With Allan's attention on Tom, I could escape for the time being. I continued backwards until, finally, I just turned and ran.

~Allan pov~

Allan watched Tom's mouth move, but he had honestly stopped listening to the man. Tom had always been the more sympathetic of them, and had always tried to be the "positive one", as he called it. Allan called it naivety.

His eyes shifted back behind Tom when the kid rushed away in a haste. He scowled.

Tom, giving up with a huff as he realized Allan had tuned him out, turned to look just as Shadow disappeared around the corner. He stood watching the corner for a moment, then turned and glared at Allan. "Are ya happy now?" he hissed.

Allan glared at him. "I'll be happy when you stop interrupting and let me get more than a single complete sentence from the kid. I have a right to know about what's gotten my crew spooked."

Tom snorted. "Sure. From the way ya were talkin' to him, I'd almost think you thought him a spy."

Allan's gaze hardened, growing deadly. "If I thought that," he looked down the hall, "He'd already be dead."

I cursed as I ran through the ship. Running away from him like this wasn't going to get him off my tail. If anything, it'd just make things even worse. He'd get even more suspicious, and that was the last thing I needed. Allan was hounding me even now it seemed. And that comment…

 _Surely he couldn't have found out this quick?_ I thought as I turned a corner. _He'd have killed me by now if he had found out! There's no reason for him to keep me around, really. So what if they suddenly lose their cook's assistant? It's not like there's not hundreds of lads who want a job like this. Hundreds of lads who aren't trying to bust them…_

I slowed my pace when my throat began to burn. I looked around as I trotted down the halls. It seemed I had found my way back to the cook's quarters. The next door was the mess hall. Stopping outside, I poked my head in. The bunks were empty. Messy as usual, but empty. "Hello?"

No answer but my echo.

I frowned, but stepped inside and made my way to the bunk that had been designated to me. I carefully stepped over one of the large rats that was sleeping on the floor. Rango had told me that they were tame rats, but I was still skeptical.

A tame rat? But they seemed to stay in here until Rango fed them some of the scraps not fit for human consumption. There was, if I remember correctly, Brownie the brown rat, Blackie the black rat, Patches the black and white rat, and then finally the grey rat… Excalibur.

I shook my head as I stepped over the other small-dog-sized rat in my path, Blackie. Rango was a comedian, that's for sure. And a nice guy. So was Bart! But if I ratted them out, they'd be brought down too.

 _Unless they aren't in it, and it's just Allan and Tom. But I don't want to turn Tom in either… hell, Thomas, why can't you be an ass and scary dude like your oh-so-friendly first mate buddy? Why must you be friendly and likeable if not a bit ditzy?_

I muttered a few choice words under my breath. I cursed myself for getting so attached so easy and fast, but with my past… and the fact that no one at the agency was exactly friendly. I wasn't used to any type of positive relationship and now that I found some people who looked to be possible friends…

 _No. They are not your friends,_ I angrily scolded myself as I dug out my journal and pen. I sat on the bunk and flipped to a blank page. _They are not good people. They are criminals! Criminals…_

But my hand seemed to have a mind of its own, and wrote what it liked as it ran the pen across the page.

 _I just can't do this. I don't know what to do. I know my job… but I can't see these guys as criminals! Well, Allan is definitely one. But the others? They're too nice to be criminals and killers! They're not like Allan… not like me. But what can I do? I have to turn them in, or the entire agency will be on my tail. I have nowhere to go. Maybe I should jump off the back of the ship. After all… who knows what they would do if the realized I am really a girl?_


	9. Chapter 8

I stared down in shock at the words. My hand began to shake as I realized I had just written down my biggest secret.

 _What am I doing?!_

I snapped the journal closed and slammed it down onto the bed beside me. The sound of the journal abruptly closing startled Patches awake, and the rat glared at me with his beady eyes. I glared back, baring my teeth and hissing out of frustration. I was not in the mood to deal with a vermin's attitude for being woken up from his beauty sleep. I had bigger problems.

Like a wolf wanting to kill me.

 _He doesn't want to kill you yet._

 _Thanks little voice. Piss off._

 _Tch. Rude._

But he (she?) did leave.

I placed my head in my hands. Why did these things have to be so complicated? Why couldn't I just be emotionless and turn them in like the drug smugglers they were?

 _That's it!_ I jerked my head up. _If I look in the hold, and don't find anything, then I won't have to turn them in!_ Allan would just be an ass and a killer. Granted that last bit wasn't saint worthy, but it takes one killer to accept another killer's actions. Or, perhaps not accept… but understand?

 _To hell with it. If I find no drugs, then I can just tell the agency I'm done. I already hinted at it. I could just stay on the ship. I've signed on after all._

I stood and stepped back over the "tame rats". I slipped back out the door and walked down the hall. Knowing Mr. Wolf was to the right, I turned left. I continued on until I found a set of stairs going down a level. I took a deep breath, then began my hunt.

Tom grumbled under his breath. He left the First Mate alone and stormed back the way he had come from. Planning to talk some more with Shadow, and hopefully get the boy to open up a little bit, he had come looking for him. He had talked to Rango who said the kid should have been still in the back eating.

The kid was shy. Really shy. Granted, he had shown a little bit of his personality the day before, but Tom still had no idea about what Shadow was actually like. He hoped to get some answers, as well as prove to Allan that there was nothing to be worried about.

He reached the mess hall and walked back to the kitchen. "Hey! Shadow, ya back there?"

He was greeted with silence.

Tom frowned and walked back. "Shadow?" he called again, glancing around. Still no sign of him. Tom's frown deepened. Could he be in the cook's quarters asleep? Or hiding from Allan?

 _Worth a shot,_ Tom thought, and walked back to the room. After poking his head in, he determined Shadow was not here either. But there was something in his bunk.

"A journal?" he murmured, carefully picking his way through the rats on the floor. He didn't approve of Rango's decision to keep them as pets, but they seemed to be great at keeping the garbage down and, surprisingly, had never been found in the stores. Either they were smart rats that knew what they could and couldn't eat, or Rango was a damned animal whisperer.

Tom took the journal in his hands and turned it over. It was bound in plain brown leather, and judging by the stitching, it was done by hand. Tom debated on opening it or not. He had a feeling Shadow wouldn't appreciate him going through it, but he wouldn't mind if he didn't know.

Slowly opening the book to the page marked with a pen, Tom scanned the left side. At first his face was blank, but then, as he read, a frown dug into the corners of his mouth.

 _Got the job. Yippee. Hopefully this doesn't end badly._

The next entry.

 _On board, finally got a chance to write. Things are going… less than great. Jake was watching us depart. He gave me the death signal… what is he planning? I know he wanted this job, but to threaten me with death? It leads me to wonder if I should just throw myself overboard now. Save Allan the trouble if he finds out why I'm really here._

Tom had to stop as a numb feeling spread through his body. Something told him, some instinct, that if he continued reading he may find something he didn't want to find.

 _So he does know who that bloke was. But… what is this job he's talking about? And what did Shadow mean? Why would he really be here?_

A sinking feeling in Tom's gut told him that, maybe, Allan's suspicion wasn't so unfounded after all.

He hesitantly let his eyes drift to the right page.

 _I just can't do this. I don't know what to do. I know my job…_

Tom kept reading, stomach twisting as he read.

 _Not like Allan… not like me…_

Tom felt a shiver run down his back. _Is Shadow a killer too?_ A disturbing question popped into his head, one he wasn't sure he wanted to answer to. _How would he even know Al had killed someone? Wait…_

His eyes scanned downward even more, and then the fell on the last sentence.

Tom's legs almost gave way under him. "Oh my God…" he gasped, head jerking up to stare at the door way. "I've got find her… before Allan does." He looked down at the small journal, then stuffed it in his pocket. He'd ask her what this was all about first. He prayed he was wrong. He wanted to be wrong.

 _No no no… we can't kill a kid. I just can't. But Al? No. I need to find Shadow. I just hope she isn't what I think she is._

Several frustrating minutes later, I had not found the hold yet.

 _Maybe I should have stayed with Allan, damnit. I would have at least found out how to get to the hold._

As I stomped through the passage, I stumbled into the wall. I frowned. I had been doing just fine. Why was I stumbling now? I wasn't tired, and certainly wasn't drunk. Suddenly I remembered the forecast. Thunderstorms.

I did not want to be below deck when that hit. If the ship began to sink, I'd much rather be somewhere closer to the top.

I retraced my steps back up to the kitchen level, then headed towards the stairs I knew led back up to the top deck. Just as I reached the stairway, a hand grabbed my neck and pulled me back into a room.

I yelped as I was slammed into the wall behind the door. Thinking Allan had finally caught on, I looked up and found myself face to face with… "Tom?! The hell?!"

His eyes had lost their usual friendliness and now were icy and empty. "What's this?" he snapped, holding up something.

My heart sank when I realized it was my journal. "Er, listen, I can explain."

His hand squeezed tighter. "Can ya? Then explain what this job of yours is? Huh? Was Al right? Are ya a spy?"

 _A spy who is about to lose consciousness_. I hit his arm and tugged at his hand with a cough. "Can't… breathe…"

He dropped me, and I slid to the floor coughing. I rubbed my sore neck, certain there would be bruises forming. If Allan was the brain, Tom was certainly the muscle of the operations.

"Well?" he demanded, and I realized there was hurt in his tone.

I looked up at him as he stood over me, fist clenched and shaking. I looked back down and sighed. "Just kill me now, would you? I'd rather go by you than Allan," I grumbled.

"So ya are a spy. Ya betrayed me, ya betrayed all of us!"

My eyes shot back up towards his. "You think I'm happy to be doing this? Huh!? I'm not! If it hadn't been for the pact I made with the agency, I'd say to hell with it, get off this ship, and run. Run away and never look back."

His look of anger slowly melted into one of confusion. "Pact?" he whispered, squatting down beside me.

I sat up and leaned against the wall. "Yeah. You're not the only criminals on this ship…"

Tom tilted his head to the side. "But ya don't seem-"

"Like a criminal?" I asked, cutting him off. He remained silent. "Neither do you, Tom. Which is why I'm conflicted here." I gestured to the book. "You've read my journal. You know I'm conflicted. Besides," I dropped my voice. "I didn't find any evidence anyway. Couldn't even find the hold. Therefore, no evidence on my account, I have no way to prove you are smugglers."

Tom held my gaze, eyes void of emotion. Finally, he spoke in a whisper. "Ya need to leave."

I frowned, not sure I heard him right. "Huh?"

The man stood. "The next port. Get the hell off our ship. And don't look back," he growled. He threw the book at my feet. "I'm no killer, but Al is. Even if ya betrayed me, _I_ won't betray _you_." He left the room, slamming the door behind him.

I stared at the door. Was he just, letting me go? He knew I was a spy, but he was giving me the chance? I picked up my book and got to my feet. The man had been hurt. Sincerely hurt that I was a spy. Even then, when there was a chance I would bust him and send him to jail, he still wouldn't give me up. How could I ever repay that?

"You're truly something, Tom. Truly something." I shook my head and shoved the book back into my pocket. Trudging out the door, I ran into Allan yet again. But I was too numb with guilt to be scared. Instead of fleeing, I simply muttered, "Sorry", and walked around to the stairs.

He caught my arm, and for a brief moment I feared Tom had told him. But even if he had, I would deserve every single minute of the torture Allan would put me through.

"Woah, you don't need to be on deck in a storm, kid," Allan said as he dragged me back down to the floor. "You could get washed overboard."

So Tom hadn't told him. Even so, my internal response was as dry as ever. _Indeed, wouldn't that make you a happy camper?_

"Listen," he continued. "I feel like I've been a bit harsh with you."

 _Well duh. But you're not an idiot, I'll give you that. Your suspicious manner is quite called for._

"So, why not we go to the card cabin, and I'll tell you some more about the ship on the way?"

 _Is the monstrous, killing Allan Thompson being nice? Perhaps I should try the lottery with this luck._ "Not like I got other plans," I muttered. _That may or may not include abandoning ship._

He grinned. "Great! C'mon then."

I watched him leave, and begrudgingly followed. As long as Tom kept his mouth shut until tomorrow, everything would be fine.

Thunder rumbled above and the ship rolled again.

 _If we even make it that far._


	10. Chapter 9

The trip was fairly short. Allan was, unsurprisingly, very knowledgeable about the ship. From what I gathered by his explanations and directions, I had just missed the hold by a _single_ right turn, the _Karaboudjan_ was shipping crab tins, and the captain was a bit… fond of the drink.

"I'd recommend you to stay away from his cabin. He may throw an empty bottle at you," Allan told me as we descended some of the stairs.

I glanced at him once we reached the base of the stairs. "So, you basically run this ship, huh?"

Allan looked down at me. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," he grumbled.

 _I'd figure you to be happy to have an entire ship to yourself, with a captain who can't tell you what to do yet if something goes wrong he takes the fall._ "I'm gonna guess that's why _you_ were out recruiting, not the captain."

Allan nodded. "Aye." His tone told me to drop it, so I didn't press him anymore and the rest of the trip down the hall was made in silence.

Sweet, sweet silence. So peaceful. So-

 _ROLL_

I stumbled and ran into the wall. "Rat piss!" I yelped.

Allan placed a hand on my shoulder to steady me. "First time on a ship during a storm?"

I quickly steadied myself. The sooner that hand left my shoulder the happier I'd be. "Not really," I admitted with a forced laugh.

Allan made a noise that I assumed was laughter, but I wasn't sure since it sounded more like a growl. "You'll get used to it," he said as he removed his hand.

 _If I'm around long enough to get used to it._ Actually, I wasn't going to be. I had made up my mind. First thing in the morning when we docked I was gone. Poof. No trace, no nothing. "Er, thanks?"

He grunted as we approached an open door.

The ship's rolling was starting to get worse, the waves pushing us around. I stumbled once or twice, but after that had focused on keeping my balance or, at the very least, not running into Allan.

Allan walked through the door first, but I wasn't far behind.

The "card cabin" was a medium sized room, the walls wooden. Two large support pillars, also wooden, ran from floor to ceiling in the middle of the room. There were some tables and chairs off to my direct left, some crates stacked against the wall in front of me, and more crates clustered around the second pillar to my right as well as some bunks stacked against the wall past that. All the furniture was bolted down to the floor, and the crates tied in place by thick rope looped through large metal rings welded to the floor.

Sailors sat scattered throughout the room, some playing cards at the table via a pale golden swinging overhead light, some sitting on the crates in front of me and to my right, and some even snoozing in the bunks. I had no clue whether those were actually their bunks, or if this just served for overflow.

There were some crates stacked to the wall by the door to my right, but, with Tom sitting there, I didn't look.

Allan strode in and sat next to a man I did not recognize. I did recognize the man to Allan's no left, or rather, men. Bart and Rango. Unfortunately, the only seat was between Bart and Allan.

I felt too miserable to care, so I trudged over and plopped down between the two men. Allan seemed to be preoccupied talking with the other man, but it was nothing but small talk. Nothing I felt I should listen in on. Like he would speak about private matters with me so close anyway.

Bart looked down and grinned at me, his friendly expression making me feel a little better. "Hey, Shadow. Where've you been? After Tom came in without you we started wonderin'. He said he wanted to go check on you."

 _Good feeling's gone._ I glanced over at Tom. The man had found something interesting on the floor to his right apparently.

"Everything ok, Shadow?" Bart asked, laying a hand on my shoulder.

I jerked in surprise and looked back up at him. "Er, yeah, fine. Just, a little sick I guess."

The bear of a man smiled sympathetically. "First voyage. You'll get your sea legs soon enough," he chuckled. "But, I do have something that might take your mind off it." He winked and pulled out something from behind his back. "You were saying you liked cats, so I thought you'd want to see these."

My eyes widened. "Eagle Claws!" I gasped. I snatched them from him, making him and Rango burst out laughing.

"Ah! So you know what they are?" he asked jokingly. By my reaction, he no doubt knew I had seen them before.

I nodded. These things were impossible to find anymore, banned for some odd reason or another. The only other time I had seen these in person was when we confiscated them from a drug dealer's home. But I wasn't allowed to keep them, much to my chagrin. "Of course! But how…?"

Another deep laugh. "I know a guy," was all he said.

I looked up at him then back at the claws. They looked so tempting to try on… "Can… can I try them on?"

Bart gestured towards them with an open hand. "Of course."

I grinned and slipped them on. After I got the first on, Bart helped me slip on the second one. I wriggled my fingers in them. They fit so perfectly. I unconsciously glanced up towards Tom with a smile on my face, but when I met his cold eyes, my smile slowly faded. My shoulders slumped and I hung my head.

From the corner of my eye I saw Allan frown, looking from me to Tom. "Hmm."

 _Ah great, he's suspicious again. Perfect time to get him agitated. During a freakin' monsoon. Just-_

 _CRASH._

I abruptly stood, staring unblinking at the open doorway as I stood rigid. _And just what was that?!_ I shook as my muscles trembled from the strain. That didn't sound good at all. Was "crab" the _only_ thing they had on board? Or was there another animal, one that wasn't dead, minced, and in a tin can?

Allan slowly stood up, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Kid, what's wrong?" he asked slowly.

I looked at him with alarm. "You didn't hear that crash!?" I exclaimed.

He looked at the door, then back at me and slowly shook his head. "No?"

 _How could they not have heard?!_ I looked around the room frantically. The sailors had all fallen silent, some staring at me with confusion and others staring at me like I had lost my mind. _I'm not crazy! Stop looking at me like that! I'm not crazy!_

I at last looked to Tom, who was also staring at me like I had gone mad. "Tom! You're closest to the door! You had to have heard something!"

Tom only shook his head. "I didn't hear nothin'."

 _Click, click, click._ The hair rose on the back of my neck. That was never a good sign. With all the time I spent around them, I adopted some of their mannerisms and my senses had gotten stronger. They didn't call me "the Cat" at the agency for nothing. One thing I had gained from it all was a good sense of danger. Especially if it was…

I looked to Allan again. "Are you carrying any type of canine on board?" I demanded.

His eyes widened, telling me there was one on board. Those click of nails sounded like a dog's nails on the steel floor of the ship. And they were getting closer.

I looked towards the entrance again, panic rising. My eyes darted from sailor to sailor, then back to Allan who was still looking at me with wide eyes. "How did you-"

I shook my head. "No time!" I gasped. I realized I had just cut off the Wolf, but if I didn't act there may have been an actual wolf about to come through that door. "Is there any possible way it could have gotten out?"

Tom stood, shaking his head as he walked over to us. "Not possible, Eddie tied the crate down." He paused and his pale gaze shifted over to a man in the corner.

I followed his eyes and what I saw wasn't reassuring in the slightest. A red faced sailor sat avoiding eye contact as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Allan followed our gaze as well, and I heard him growl, "Eddie? Did you tie that crate down like I asked?"

"Er, well, I may 'ave fergot…" Eddie mumbled.

I beat Allan before he could yell at the man. "You forgot?! How could you forget to do something that important, you stale end piece of white bread?!"

His eyes widened as he looked up, no doubt unused to an insult like that. Even Allan was looking at me strangely.

Something out of the corner of my other eye made me jerk my head around towards the door. A large, shaggy furred wolf stood in the doorway, teeth bared in a savage snarl. Saliva dripped from his jaws onto the floor. He looked _hungry._ And not a _haven't-eaten-in-a-few-hours._ No, this was a few days hungry.

 _How the hell does something like this even happen?!_ "Wolf escaped!" I yelled, pointing at the wolf.

Tom spun around as the wolf decided to charge, teeth bared and claws outstretched.

I saw Allan reach for his waist, where I assumed he had a gun. But he wouldn't have been able to shoot the wolf before it got to Tom. I was closer.

Realizing my only option, I readied myself to jump. _Time to pay you back, Tom._ I shoved into the much taller man with all my might, making him stumble to the side and out of the wolf's open jaws. Unfortunately, that put my left bicep and shoulder in the way instead.

When the teeth dug into my upper arm, blood immediately burst from the wound and a scream from my throat. I had been attacked by a feral dog before, but this was a much bigger cousin, with much bigger teeth. And they went deep.

The wolf, just as content with my arm as he would have been with my neck, growled and started to shake me.

 _Oh, hell no! I will not lose my arm to some damn mutt!_

I snarled, raised my right hand, and brought the eagle claws down on his face. The sharp tips slashed downward across his left eye, blinding him. He howled and released his grip on my shoulder as we fell away from each other.

I gasped in pain as blood flowed freely from the deep wounds. I gingerly touched my shoulder with my right hand. I then hissed at the pain. I jerked my hand away and glanced at it. Blood dripped off it, mine or the wolf's I wasn't sure.

 _Speaking of that son of a bitch…_

I glared at the wolf, who was shaking his head back and forth with pained yelps. Flung from his face, drops of blood splatted the floor. He stopped then glared at me with his remaining yellow eye. Snarling, he rushed again.

Matching his snarl with one of my own, I slashed at him with the claws on my right hand as my left arm hung loose. They caught his neck, but only scratched the surface.

He backed away, yelping, then readied himself for another jump. He wasn't giving up on the prospect of a meal so quickly, and had already had a taste of blood. He was going for the kill or planned to die trying.

Luckily for me, it was the latter.

 _BANG._

Smoke curled up from the barrel of Allan's drawn pistol. I glanced at him, hand covering my shoulder, and looked back to the downed wolf. Clean shot between the eyes.

Suddenly, I began to feel lightheaded and stumbled. The ship, which was still rolling, was really not helping me as I staggered backwards.

I fell, but thankfully Tom caught me.

"Shadow! Are ya ok?!"

I felt relief wash over me at the worry in his tone. I glanced back up at him. "We're," I groaned in pain, "Even."

Confusion flooded his face, but then he realized what I meant. "Shadow, ya didn't-"

"Take him to Omar, now," Allan ordered, holstering his pistol again on his right hip. "He needs that stitched before he bleeds out. _Go_!"

Tom nodded and picked me up. I hissed through my teeth when the movement jostled my wounds. He muttered a sorry and walked out as quickly as he could.

As he walked down the halls as straight as possible with the ship moving, he asked, "Why, why did ya do that?"

I looked up at him, ignoring the fuzzy lights above him. "You're my friend, aren't you? I couldn't let you die."

Tom lowered his voice. "But ya plan to bust me and Al-"

"To hell with that. I'm running after this. I can't turn you in. Or Bart… or Rango…" I could tell my voice was getting weaker, and I didn't appreciate it one bit. "If I even live to run tomorrow."

Tom seemed to notice my slur too, for he cursed and walked faster. "Don't worry. I'll get you to Omar. He'll fix ya up…"


	11. Chapter 10

Allan paced outside the door, hands clasped behind him as he walked back and forth. He looked up and glanced up towards the door. He had never seen anyone, not even a grown man, stand up to a wolf without a gun before. Nor had he ever heard a human make the same snarls Shadow had. How did the boy manage that? One thing was for sure. He knew what he was doing, armed with those claws.

Tom leaned on the wall, eyes anxious and a concerned look on his face. Allan was more than shocked when Shadow had shoved the stocky man aside and had taken in wolf's teeth directly to the arm. If he hadn't, the wolf would have locked its savage fangs around Tom's neck. The man would be dead. No _ifs_ , _ands_ , or _buts_ about it.

Even after taking that bite to the arm, Shadow had still kept on fighting, hacking and slashing at the wolf until Allan was able to shoot the animal between the eyes. Screw the client. A crew member, no, two crewmembers, had almost been killed. Could have been killed. Allan wouldn't never have guessed Shadow would do something like that. The boy had been with them on the ship less than 24 hours!

But there was something that troubled Allan. Before the wolf arrived, Shadow and Tom wouldn't look each other in the eyes. Something had happened, and Allan was determined to find out what. But the most troubling thing of all was Shadow's words.

" _We're even."_

 _Even? Even about what? What could possibly have Shadow owed Tom?_

Allan was halted in his pacing as the door creaked open, revealing a blood stained Omar. He shut the door behind him with a burdened sigh. From the slump of the surgeon's shoulders, Allan could tell something was up. Something was wrong.

Silence stretched on, thickening the air to the point where it seemed like it would smother Allan. "Well?" he demanded, tone sharp.

"It wasn't deep. There shouldn't be any permanent damage. I patched up the wound and numbed the shoulder," he said, somewhat hesitantly.

Allan couldn't understand why Omar would be hesitant if all was ok. "So he's going to be alright?" he pressed, walking closer to the surgeon. Was that a wince Omar gave when Allan said _he_?

"Well… _she_ will be."

Allan's brain took a moment to process, but when it finally clicked, Allan was dumbstruck. "Sh-She?" he sputtered. Had he heard the man right? He better not have.

Omar nodded slowly, avoiding Allan's gaze. "Yes… Shadow is a girl," he murmured softly.

Allan grew slightly angry. The kid had lied to him. "You're kidding, right? Tell me you're joking," Allan growled, looming over Omar.

Omar looked up at him, eyes angry as well. However, his anger was directed at Allan. "You know, Shadow begged me not to come out here and tell you. Told me, no joke, to _throw her out the window into the storm_."

Allan's anger cooled slightly. _Throw her out the window? Is he- damn it, she. Is she that terrified of me?_

Omar was still speaking. "Seems I should have listened to her," he growled, speaking with more aggression than Allan thought the mild-mannered surgeon capable.

"Allan," Tom began softly. "I… I found Shadow was female earlier. I looked through her journal. I didn't tell ya for the same reason."

 _That explains the 'we're even'. Tom must have promised to keep a secret for her, but I have no doubt he felt betrayed. Even so._ Allan glared at his friends, a snarl curling his lip. "What is this, a conspiracy? Should I have you tried for mutiny?" he hissed at them, then shoved past Omar. He was going to have a nice _long_ talk with that kid. "Move."

"Allan! Ya can't kill her! She saved my life!" Tom exclaimed, worry for the kid clear in his tone.

Allan glanced at the man as his hand rested on the wheel. _Am I that predictable? Don't they believe I can control my anger?_ "I'm not going to kill her, but I am going to have a nice long chat with her," he said, then ordered, "Both of you, stay out here. That is an order."

The two men had no choice but to comply as Allan stormed into the room, taking his dark cloud with him. _Kid, you are-_ "Gone!"

The room was completely empty, the kid nowhere to be seen. There wasn't exactly anywhere to hide either. Where could she have even gone?!

Omar rushed in behind him. "What? How the hell? She was right there!" He pointed to the chair splattered with blood. "How could she have gotten out with her arm like that?"

 _What kind of kid is this? A magician?_ Allan turned as Tom rushed in. "W-What? Where'd she go?" he gasped.

Allan's eyes swept around the room. _No way out, other than…_ Allan's eyes widened, then he shook his head. _For a girl, that kid sure has good upper body strength._ He beckoned the two other over. "Let's look out in the hall. She could have wriggled out through to vents. She's small enough."

When Omar and Tom gave him disbelieving looks, Allan held a finger to his lips and pointed to the open window.

Both men glanced over, and their eyes widening. Tom opened his mouth to say something, but Allan quickly covered it, glaring at the man. He pointed at them, then to the door, then to himself, and finally to the floor.

He didn't speak, but the message was clear. _You two leave, I'm staying here._

Tom shook his head defiantly, but relented when Allan glared at him and hissed, "Dish duty for a month if you don't."

Realizing he had no options, Tom slumped his shoulders and gave a resigned nodded. He stepped back and said to Omar, raising his voice, "Well, let's go check outside as ya said, Al." He trudged to the door and stepped out, Omar right behind him. The surgeon cast a glance back at Allan, then shook his head and stepped out.

Allan turned off the lights, then closed the door behind them. He walked back to a corner and leaned against the wall to wait.

 _Come on, you little trickster. Take the bait._

I snuck into the room back through the port hole after the sound of the door slamming and the light from above vanished. Good timing too. I couldn't have hung there much longer. It was dark, the only light streaming through the window I had just come through. My feet hit the floor with the softest thud, too silent to be heard by any.

I made quick to the door, but skid to a halt as a massive shape stepped in front of it. _Shit!_

"Going somewhere, kid?" Allan's voice was a low, furious growl that made my stomach hit the floor. He was not happy by any means, and I was completely alone with him. I wasn't going to lie… I was terrified.

"I…"

"Save it. I don't care to hear it," the man snarled, stepping closer. I in turn took a step back. "Don't even try to run. You're in deep enough as is," Allan warned, pointing a finger at me. "I would really rather not shoot you in the leg. Sit." He gestured to the chair.

Hesitantly, I walked over, not turning my back on him the entire time. I didn't dare meet his eyes, either. I stood by the chair, unwilling to sit and let my guard down around this man.

"I said sit," Allan growled, walking closer.

I shook my head. "N-No. You'll… you'll kill me unless I keep my guard up," I said, turning my eyes up to meet his.

He was arm's length away by now. "Kid… when did I say anything about killing you? You saved Tom's life after all," he said, sounding slightly less _I-Want-To-Skin-You-Alive_. "I just want to talk. Now, **sit**."

When I continued to stand he grabbed my shoulder, luckily my good one, and shoved me to the chair. I yelped and grabbed his wrist, then began coughing. Little specks of blood appeared on Allan's shirt. He looked down, and I saw his eyes widen. "I didn't shove you that hard!" he exclaimed, kneeling down.

I gave him a weak smile as I held his brown gaze. "Aye… you didn't shove me hard. Bit my lip when I shoved Tom out of the way," I said nonchalantly as blood dripped from the corner of my mouth. I brought my hand up and wiped it off, scowling at the red liquid. This job had gone all wrong. My gender nor my purpose was supposed to be revealed, and I wasn't supposed to get hurt. But I had slipped, and they weren't supposed to have a wolf on board either.

"Why did you ask Omar to throw you out the window?"

I gulped. _Let me tell you, friend, you are not gonna like the answer to this at all._ "To avoid a death at your hands."

"Kid… why would I kill you?" Allan asked, shock in his tone.

Ah… the time had come. The big reveal of why I was truly there. I could only hope I made it to the window before Allan got his hands on me. "You would kill me anyways. Allan… I was sent to prove you were smuggling opium. I would have probably succeeded, but then… the wolf incident happened. I could have kept my identity secret from you, but had I done that… Tom would have died. I-I couldn't allow that," I explained quietly, avoiding his no doubt now murderous gaze.

Allan was silent, and I felt his hand tighten on my shoulder. I winced, then murmured, "If you're going to punish or kill me, I'd recommend doing it soon. I'm not a patient person, and I despise suspense."

After what seemed like forever, Allan finally said, "Why?"

I looked up then, caught off guard by the question. His eyes showed no emotion, nor did his face. It was if he was a stone wall. "Why what?" I asked, answering his question with another question. What in the world did he mean by that? Which why was he referring to?

"Why did you save Tom's life if you were only going to rat him and the rest of us out?" Allan asked, his tone soft.

I sighed. "I don't know. I had been thinking that, maybe, I wouldn't rat y'all out. Guess I for sure won't now," I laughed bitterly.

"You were sent here to rat us out, but you've changed your mind?"

"That about sums it up. Got, what's the word, attached. Taken down criminals before, but they acted like criminals, the men, other than you, don't."

No response.

Keeping my eyes dropped low, I grumbled, "Now, you gonna kill me or what?"

I expected many things after that.

A slap.

Bullet in the stomach or thigh so I'd die slow.

Snapped neck.

Knife to the gut.

Broken arm.

Other less pleasant things I'd rather not think about.

Allan's response was, in the simplest of terms, shocking and completely unexpected.

"No."

* * *

 _Updated finally._

 _I finally finished my main project so I had time to work on this. I'm going to try and finish all of my side little projects in July. That means this one, The Day Karma Bit Back (also Tintin with me getting sucked into the movie), and an Assassin's Creed one I basically abandoned._

 _So, let's see if I can't finish up this old-ass story in the next few weeks so I can quit hating myself for practically abandoning this fandom._

 _But I'm mainly onto other things now. My own story universe, other fandoms, and the ever looming senior year of high school. But this fandom will always be special to me, as it's through Tintin Fanfics I found my love for writing (even though I want to puke/die/slap my 13 year old self when I read my old stories). So there's always a possibility of me revisiting the fandom._

 _I'd be up for posting some of those old stories, but they are extremely bad. Bah who cares._  
 _I'll probably post those short ones since I feel there really should be more Karaboudjan stuff here. The longer one... maybe not_. _I mean if anyone wants to read it I could probably post it with a *ANCIENT ALERT* stamped on the thing._


	12. Chapter 11

I jerked my head up, a stupid look of confusion plastered on my face. "Say what now?" I asked, voice an octave or two higher than usual.

 _Of all the responses, this one is certainly one I could never would have expected. Unless… ah hell._

"If you plan to use me as a toy, I will go right back out that window after I kick you in the dick," I growled, baring my teeth.

Allan leaned back, a weird look on his face. "You really think I'm so animal to give into base urges like that?"

I huffed. "Yeah? Your nickname is the Wolf. Not exactly helpful."

Allan glared at me. "Do want to hear why I choose to not, or would you rather get me even angrier?" he snarled. "Death can still easily be arranged."

I lowered by gaze. "No… I'll listen." I paused. "Sir."

Allan snorted. "That's better," he muttered, then stood up. He walked over and turned the lights back on.

He scarcely arrived back to where I was before Tom followed by Omar rushed in. Tom's mouth fell open. "Shadow!"

I gave him a sarcastic grin. "He knows."

Tom frowned. "But, you're still alive…"

I snorted with laughter. "Indeed! Today is just a string of shockers after another, ain't they?"

Allan glared at the two of us, then at Tom. "So, I'm assuming you knew about her being a spy too. Was that the reason for your sudden aversion to her?"

The color drained from Tom's face.

 _Hold on just one bloody minute._ "Tom didn't because I told him what I told you." I growled, the sound rumbling from the back of my throat. "I planned to make a break for it tomorrow once we hit port. From both you _and_ the agency."

Allan shifted his brown eyes from Tom to me. "Make a break for it?" he asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. "Yep. This was my last job. I'm am sick and tired of that place! Rules, rules, rules! The superiors are dickheads and a general curse on humans. So corrupt! I took this job because it'd give me enough money to start fresh away from here."

Allan blinked, but I couldn't tell if he was shocked or not. Never could with the man it seemed. Mysterious bugger. "So, you were going to betray us and betray them? To get a new start?"

I shrugged, wincing at the tug in my shoulder. "That about sums it all up. It's free betrayal day I guess. Who's next in line?"

Allan rolled his eyes. "Well, then my plan might just work."

 _Oh no. What horrible yet cleverly thought up dastardly plan do you have in your violent little mind now, Al?_ "Er, dare I ask?"

He placed a hand on his gun.

"And I just love making evil plans that may or may not result in death of one or more parties!" I said quickly with a small laugh.

Allan raised an eyebrow. "Are you always this strange?"

I gave a snort of laughter. "Trust me, or not, but this gets even worse. But hey! Plan time?"

Allan shook his head with a groan. "I'm probably going to regret this. You want out of the agency and a fresh start. I want my cargo kept secret. Do you see where I'm going?"

I blinked. _Is this man serious? No, he can't possibly be._ "Wait a minute… are you offering me a chance to stay? As long as I remain loyal to you?"

 _The odds of him being serious of this are-_

"Correct."

 _Very good apparently_. I frowned. "But, may I ask why?"

"Simple," Allan replied. "You know the inner workings of the agency. What they look for. How they operate. Who the leader is. Where they are. That's valuable to me. With your knowledge, I could avoid the law easier."

"Is that the only reason?" I asked slowly, fully aware there had to be another reason.

"I get tired of killing." Surprisingly, he kept a straight face. "Terribly inconvenient erasing all traces to ensure I'm not pinned."

I blinked then huffed. "Itty bitty problem. Not that I admire don't those reasons, but there's the issue of the agency wondering just where I have gone."

"We'll just say you got swept over in the storm. You're somewhere at the bottom of the ocean for all we know," Allan shrugged.

One side of my mouth turned down. "Which, if I refuse your offer, won't be a story."

Another shrug.

"Your nonchalant silence is _very_ reassuring," I snorted. I scratched the back of my neck. "While this might make me sound like I've lost my bloody senses from blood loss, I still must ask for a few to think about it."

Allan blinked, and this time I did see a mixture of shock and almost disgust cross his face. "You do sound crazy."

Omar muttered, "No, you're just used to men tripping over themselves to please you." He rolled his eyes.

I held in a snicker. I didn't think Allan would find it funny in the slightest and considering the thin ice I was already on, no need to make another crack.

Allan shot him a glare then looked back to me. "If you honestly need time to think about it, then fine. But," he pointed a finger at me, "Not long. I don't make this offer lightly."

I nodded. "Oh, I believe you, trust me on that. I'm not thinking if I should or not, because although most of my internal monologue of late has been disturbingly suicidal, I still have a remote notion of self-preservation."

Tom's face mutated into a look of pure bewilderment. "Huh?" he stammered.

Allan glanced over his shoulder. "She meant she's been thinking of throwing herself overboard but still has a slight yet stubborn will to live."

Tom chuckled nervously. "Oh."

Allan turned his brown gaze back to me. "So, your answer is a yes?"

I nodded. "Pretty much. Just want to get a few things straight in my head."

Allan stood up. "Alright, deal. Ten minutes. Then you're going to explain to the crew what you joined for."

 _And down goes_ _ **that**_ _free bird._ "So _there's_ my punishment," I huffed, scowling. "Tell a bunch of highly aggressive men I was sent to send them to jail. This should go just about as great as the last time I was surrounded by a group of aggressive men."

Allan tilted his head to the side. "What happened with that?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but a knocking on the door interrupted me. All eyes shifted over as Rango stuck his head in. "How is Shadow?" he asked as Bart stuck his head in above Rango's.

Allan looked back at me. "You can practice by telling them," he said, gesturing towards them.

As Omar motioned for them to step in, Rango asked, "Practice for what?"

Allan looked at me. "Well?"

I held his gaze. Seeing no chance of negotiating my way out, I groaned. I stood and faced the two men. "Er, fellas? I… have something to tell you…"

"That you're a girl?" Rango asked in a flat tone.

My jaw dropped. "How-"

"And that you lied about your gender to get onboard?" Bart chimed in.

 _Well while we're telling secrets._ "And that I was sent to prove Allan was smuggling opium?" I added.

Rango's and Bart's eyes went wide. They exchanged shocked glances, and for a moment I feared I had just spilled Allan's secret to part of his crew that didn't know. But then Bart muttered, "Didn't know that bit."

Rango nodded in agreement. "Aye." He turned to Allan. "How is she still alive and you in the same room?"

 _Oh yeah, they knew too. All the more reason for me to consider Allan's offer very thoughtfully._

Allan rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "I'm not just a shoot-and-kill man. I know when an opportunity presents itself. She has knowledge on the agency. She knows things we could never hope to know without kidnapping someone. It's a win-win. We get information without kidnapping, and Shadow doesn't find herself at the bottom of the sea."

"Sounds so lovely," I muttered sarcastically, then addressed Bart and Rango. "Listen, guys. I was going to turn you over… but then I got to know you. I just can't anymore. I never really wanted this job to begin with, but I needed money to escape the agency. It's too corrupt there, people lying to your face and false praise." I paused. "You are my first even semi-friends in 5 years."

The men exchanged a glance. "Well…" Bart began, but Allan cut him off.

"She's going to take some time with Tom alone. Go back to the card cabin. She'll be back in soon." He looked at me. "Right?"

I smiled tiredly and gave a half-hearted shrug. "Not like I got other plans," I laughed softly. I pushed myself out of the chair and grabbed Tom's wrist. "C'mon, Tom. 'Venture into the depressing blackness of self-reflection."

Tom snorted but followed me out.

As I walked out, I heard Allan mutter, "She really does have a dark sense of humor." There was a pause. "Rango, what have you been teaching her?"

I didn't hear the man's response as I walked faster down the hall. In fact, I wasn't even paying attention to where I was setting my feet. I was too preoccupied with a looming question that threatened to crush me like a boulder.

 _What have I gotten into?_

* * *

 _Allan be strange!_

 _Also, after reading the comics and watching the animated series, I've made an important discovery._

 _I'm writing with the Adventures of Tintin movie Allan with slightly my spin. Aka Mr. Scary McGrumpy Criminal Man who is fed up with everyone and everything and has a dark sense of humor._

 _Not that the comic/animated version of Allan isn't violent. Just that one is... a cocky asshole. Seriously, Red Sea Sharks and Flight 714. He's a jackass.  
Gotta say, the actor who played him helped out with his voice, but still. Even in the comics. _

_Honestly, to me, Allan has a British accent._

 _Enough ranting about Grumpy McGee. Enjoy the update! I've got the rest of the chapters (4-5 of them) already planned out._ _Yes, they will be short. I'm kinda just wanting to complete the story here._


	13. Chapter 12

The ship had thankfully stopped rolling under my feet. The storm must have passed while Omar sewed up this wound on my shoulder. Air blew out through clenched teeth.

 _Does nothing want to work out in my life? Can't I get a break for once in my sad, pathetic life? No of course not!_

I stopped when the hall split. I glanced left and right, but I wasn't sure which way to go.

Groaning, I turned to face Tom. "Which way to the top?"

He gave me a sympathetic smile. "'Ere, I'll lead." He slipped ahead of me and turned right.

I trotted after him until we reached the stairs.

He turned and glanced at me as he began to climb up. "Right up these steps. The storm should be passed by now."

I muttered, "I do hope so. I don't think I could take a wet head with a damaged shoulder. It'd really put a damper on things."

Tom snorted with laughter as he reached the top of the steps. "Well, glad to see ya somewhat back to your old self."

I shook my head as I reached his side. "No, Tom. I'll never be my old self." My eyes darkened and my voice lowered to a growl. "I will _never_ be my old self. I refuse to let that animal show her face ever again."

The smile faded fast from Tom's face. "Animal?" he asked, worry in his tone. He turned to look at me, hand resting on the door handle.

I looked up at him without raising my head. "Tom, there's a reason I stay skittish and avoid confrontation. I'm a savage animal when I fight. I'm known not to use…" I searched for the word. "Conventional fighting techniques." A frown dug deep into the corners of my mouth. "At least, that's what I've been told."

"Ya mean ya don't know?" he asked, bewildered.

I raised my chin as I stared into his eyes. "No. I don't."

Tom blinked, frowning. "But… how do ya not-"

I held up a hand, my right. "I'll tell you. But, outside."

Tom hesitated, looking like he wanted an answer before we did anything else, but he relented and opened the door.

The heavy smell of rain washed over me and I suppressed a shiver at the cold sea breeze that swept into the door.

Tom stepped out first, leaving me to follow.

He led me across the deck to the very tip of the bow. Leaning back against the rail on his elbows, he looked over at me. "What did ya mean ya didn't know what ya used to fight?"

I sighed and leaned against the rail as well, facing forward. "Simple. I have something wrong with me that causes me to… black out, for lack of a better word. My vision goes dark, but I still can move, talk, and fight. I just don't remember anything."

Tom gulped. "That sounds… scary."

I snorted with sarcastic laughter. "Oh, it is. I always worry when my vision goes dark. What's gonna happen? What will I do?" I paused, taking a deep breath. "Will I almost kill someone… again?"

Tom was off the rail in an instant. "Ya… ya almost killed someone?"

I grinned tiredly at him. "I have more in common with Allan than it seems at first glance. We're both killers."

Tom blinked. "Why do ya black out? I've never heard of somethin' like that happenin'…"

 _That's because most are in prison. But here I am, working for the law. Well, not any more I guess. No more amnesty for me._

I shook my head and sighed. "I don't know what causes it, or how it started, but I do know when it first began."

 _"_ _Get that brat over here!"_

 _"_ _C'mon, can't we have one go with 'er? She's mighty perdy…"_

 _"_ _Orders are orders. However, a small taste won't hurt…"_

 _"_ _Get away from me! I'm serious! Take one more step and I'll-"_

"What happened?"

I jerked out of the memories, eyes wide. "Huh?!"

Tom pushed himself off the rail and faced me, hands held with palms towards me. "Easy, Shadow. Are ya alright?"

I placed a hand over my chest. I could feel my heart pounding away. It wanted out. I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Y-Yeah. It's just. It wasn't a pleasant power-up, as I call it."

Tom blinked. "Er… what exactly-"

"I was gonna be sold, Tom."

The man's jaw hung slack, his eyes widening with horror.

I nodded. "Yep. See, I was easy prey. Orphan girl running the streets. A hungry one too. Hunger is a powerful motivator. They lured me into a trap and things quickly went downhill from there."

I shuddered. "One day, they were transporting me to another location when the employees, if such low life call be called such, decided they wanted to try me out." My words grew sharper with each breath. Now my teeth bared as I spoke and a low growl rumbled in my throat. "Well, couldn't let that happen. Instinct took over after months of being repressed out of fear. It was safer to bury the fight. They were nicer if you behaved. But these two…"

To Tom's surprise, a low hiss escaped my teeth.

" _They_ were the _worst_ of the," I paused, unable to put all my hatred into the word. " _Company_. I'd had it. When they tried to come near me, the instinct I had kept buried broke free like tiger than snapped its chain. All the anger, all the rage, all the fear, it just exploded."

 _Burning hot rage seared my body, from the marrow within my bones to the tips of my hair. I could have sworn I heard a crack. There was fear, yes, but I had no urge to cower._

 _There was only once voice in my head._

 _A single word._

 ** _Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill._**

 _It got louder._

 ** _Kill them! Kill them all! No survivors! Destroy them! What are you waiting for? Kill them!_**

 _My vision wavered, darkness beginning to creep from the sides. My vision may have been going dark, but the white-hot flames only grew stronger and brighter. In the middle of the creeping blackness, my targets._

 ** _Kill. Kill. Kill._**

 _My fists clenched and a snarl curled my lip._

 ** _Kill! Kill! Kill!_**

 _"_ _This ends here," I growled at the two men in front of me._

 _When they laughed at me, their mocking laughs only agitated the voice further._

 ** _KILL! KILL! KILL!_**

 _I bunched my muscles as the last of my vision went dark. "With pleasure."_

"Shadow? Shadow!" Tom shook my good shoulder.

I looked up at him, eyes dark.

His voice was hardly above a whisper. "What did ya do to 'em?"

My voice was a savage, emotionless snarl. "I killed them."

* * *

All in one go. It's 12:30 AM.

I want sleep. BUT NOOOOO.  
THE PLOT IDEAS JUST HAVE TO BOUNCE AROUND LIKE CAFFINATED GRASSHOPPERS.

Either way, have a new bloody chapter. Getting to the end.

No, Shadow is not supernaturally possessed. She just blacks out when angry and may have a disorder where another person is in her head due to trauma. Yes, it can happen in real life.  
But hopefully not with this outcome.


End file.
